Helping Writers Overcome the Fear of Sharing Their Work

How can we, as peer tutors, aid writers in overcoming their fear of sharing their work? In our research, we analyzed why writers are anxious to share their work, strategies that help writers overcome the fear of sharing work, and what specific steps peer tutors can use to implement these strategies.  Peer tutors must understand this dilemma and how to resolve it so writers can feel confident and proud of their work.

First, we needed to understand why there is so much anxiety behind people sharing their writing and why it is such a universal experience. An article from the Harvard Business Review analyzed why people are afraid of criticism in the workplace and included methods to counter this. While the piece is not necessarily tailored to the context of writing, many of these psychological themes apply to the process of writing. 

Ultimately, the fear of receiving feedback is due to the fear of criticism. Authors Jackman and Strober (2019) explained how this fear displays itself in unhealthy, counterproductive traits such as Procrastination, Brooding, Denial, Jealousy, and Self-sabotage. These “worst practices” can all be directly related to the work of writers. All of the above are detrimental to the writing process, not only to the mindset of the writer but also to the added element of creativity in writing that is not applicable in most business contexts.

In order to adapt to become more acceptable to feedback there are steps that need to be taken to enact this change little by little. It can’t simply be a mindset shift; it must have actionable steps, such as recognizing your responses to situations, seeking support from those you trust emotionally, reframing the feedback into opportunity, and seeking feedback on your own terms.

The majority of the methods discussed in this piece focused on actionable ways for the writer to improve their ability to receive feedback. However, as tutors, it is also important to see how we can encourage these methods through our tutoring strategies. To continue tackling this problem from the root, and connect these methods to the context of writing, we examined a piece that dove deeper into the origins of the fear of criticism and feedback. This piece was a research study done on university students in China that explored the relationship between writing anxiety and self-efficacy in writing performance. 

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to achieve specific goals and perform certain behaviors. In other words, the pressure one puts on themselves to meet certain self-standards. Based on a questionnaire given to the university students regarding their feelings about writing anxiety and self-efficacy, the descriptive model Woodrow et al. (2011) used indicates that writing anxiety is strongly negatively related to writing self-efficacy (518). This means that high writing anxiety correlates to writers having low self-efficacy. The model also indicates that high writing self-efficacy is positively related to writing ability (519), meaning that having confidence in one’s writing ability improves writing performance.

These metrics are crucial in understanding how our mental relationship with writing directly impacts our ability to produce quality writing. One method used in this study helps us determine some strategies we as tutors can do to help improve the self-efficacy of writers. 

In the questionnaire, the students were directed to answer short-response questions. Most of the answers from those who scored higher on the written assessment were representative of higher confidence, while those who scored lower had answers representing lower confidence. For example, this question was asked:

What makes you interested in studying English?

Those who scored highly on the assessment had answers representing a positive attitude towards writing such as:

• “It’s wonderful and necessary, because I am interested in English.”
•  “At length I have a strong desire to become proficient in English for the sake I will develop a complex talent”

However, those who scored lower on the assessment gave answers that more resembled lower confidence in their abilities and anxiety.

• “[My parents] want me to be a good person with the skill of English so I can find a good job. I understand them. When I’m fed up with learning I think about them”
• “The more pressure my parents exert on me the less willing I am to study and the more I hate it”

This lets us see how the negative impact of outside pressures, such as parents or instructors can lead to lower confidence and increased anxiety. As tutors, we do not need to add to this pressure that the writer feels. Instead, we should always be sure to be the writer’s “cheerleader”. Ensure they know they are capable writer and use positive language to drive the feedback you give, always ensuring that they know we are not judging them, but supporting them forward in their process. Let the teacher be the critic and we shall be the cheerleader. 

These findings on why people are averse to criticism and feedback and where these feelings come from can aid Peer Tutors in how to better aid students who come into our Writing Center. In Freud in the Writing Center: The Psychoanalytics of Tutoring Well, Murphy (1989) highlights the role of a peer tutor to be first supportive and effective and second instructional and unique to each writer. There is an emphasis on building an interpersonal relationship with your writer by approaching them with unconditional positive regard which is a combination of showing them support and empathy while being accepting. 

Additionally, scaffolding is an accentuated practice that aids peer tutors in helping writers get to where they are trying to go without holding themselves back. Thompson (2008) emphasizes using both motivational and cognitive scaffolding to increase a writer’s active participation in their own writing. This gives agency back into the hands of the writer, allowing them to not be controlled by their deep-rooted anxieties. Tutors are encouraged to avoid directiveness and encourage intersubjectivity during their Writing Center appointments. Overall, peer tutors are encouraged to use positive language and encouragement when giving feedback and to be a cheerleader for the writer!

References

Lindy Woodrow, et al. “College English Writing Affect: Self-Efficacy and Anxiety.” System, Pergamon, 15 Nov. 2011, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0346251X11001278.

Jackman, Jay M., and Myra H. Strober. “Fear of Feedback.” Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business Review, 5 Aug. 2019, hbr.org/2003/04/fear-of-feedback.

Murphy, Christina. “Freud in the Writing Center: The Psychoanalytics of Tutoring Well.” The Writing Center Journal, vol. 10, no. 1, 1989, pp. 13–18. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43444112. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.

Thompson, Isabelle. “Scaffolding in the Writing Center: A Microanalysis of an Experienced Tutor’s Verbal and Nonverbal Tutoring Strategies.” Written Communication, SAGE Publications, http://sagepub.com, 30 Nov. 2008, eric.ed.gov/?q=source%3A%22Written%2BCommunication%22&pg=13&id=EJ855333.